Health
Discover facts about health. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Health
Why testosterone therapy can thicken the blood
Testosterone can stimulate the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells, sometimes causing secondary polycythemia. Monitoring can catch the increase before…
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Rural broadband failures paralyze stroke victims
Telestroke brings a specialist to a patient by video, but only while the connection holds. In a rural dead zone, the virtual examination can stall—and a delay…
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Aluminum boosters trigger Shoenfeld syndrome
Aluminum salts can act as vaccine adjuvants: they help prompt a stronger immune response. In extremely rare cases, they have been linked—not established as…
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Why Dravet syndrome puts parents under constant strain
Unpredictable, potentially prolonged seizures can keep caregivers alert even during the night. Research on Dravet families describes disrupted sleep, fatigue,…
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Edinburgh depression scales miss postpartum mania
A normal score on the Edinburgh scale means the depression symptoms it measures were not strongly reported; it does not rule out every serious postpartum…
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Botox can quiet the muscle that keeps a bladder squeezing
In selected bladder conditions, injections reduce nerve signaling to the bladder muscle and limit unwanted contractions. For some patients with neurological…
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The maneuver that rolls loose crystals out of your ear
Loose calcium crystals can cause positional vertigo when they drift into the semicircular canals, which help sense head movement. During the Epley maneuver, a…
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One headache treatment targets a nerve through the neck
A prescription device called gammaCore delivers controlled electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve without an implant. It has been cleared for specific…
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Could these drugs clear out your body's “zombie” cells
Some aging cells stop dividing without being cleared away, and their signals can add to inflammation in surrounding tissue. Researchers are testing senolytics…
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A pacemaker for sleep apnea moves your tongue
The implant times a brief electrical signal to each inhale. That signal activates the nerve controlling the tongue, pulling it forward to help hold the airway…
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Why doctors prescribe an app for insomnia
Somryst delivers cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, which targets sleep patterns rather than relying on a drug to cause drowsiness. One…
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A tilt table lets doctors watch the body handle standing
The patient is supported as the table rises from flat toward upright while clinicians monitor heart rate and blood pressure. Gravity shifts blood downward,…
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High-impact sport can challenge bladder control even in fit athletes
Studies report urinary leakage among female athletes, with running and other high-impact activities repeatedly loading the pelvic floor. Fatigue is one…
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Hunger Vital Sign catches hidden malnutrition fast
The screen asks about a practical detail, not appetite: does food run out before the next paycheck? That answer can help a primary care team recognize food…
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How intensive care can affect the brain
Some people who survive intensive care later struggle with memory and other cognitive tasks. Delirium during the ICU stay and prolonged sedation can be part…
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How a device shakes mucus out of your lungs
With each breath out through an Acapella, resistance and vibration create pulses of pressure inside the airways. Those pulses help loosen mucus that can cling…
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Cyanoacrylate bandages rip apart fragile epidermis
A surgical bandage’s adhesive can hold tighter to the epidermis than the epidermis holds together. Peeling it away can therefore lift skin cells too, which is…
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Why city-grown vegetables may contain lead
Lead from old gasoline exhaust or peeling house paint can remain in city garden soil. Vegetables growing there may take up some lead or have contaminated soil…
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How E. coli can hide in your bladder
Some E. coli can slip inside cells lining the bladder wall and remain there as a hidden reservoir. A course of treatment may clear bacteria from the urine…
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An asthma attack doesn't always announce itself with a wheeze
Clinicians look at breathing effort, speech, symptoms, and response to treatment, not sound alone. Someone can be seriously short of breath without an obvious…
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Why gastric bypass patients need lifelong supplements
Roux-en-Y gastric bypass changes the route food takes through the digestive system, making it harder to absorb some nutrients. That can leave the body short…
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After a stroke, food can enter your lungs silently
A stroke can weaken the reflex that makes you cough when food or liquid goes down the wrong way. Without that warning, it can slip past the airway and into…
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Could snoring be mistaken for ADHD in children
Sleep-disordered breathing can repeatedly interrupt a child's sleep and may affect oxygen levels. Instead of seeming tired, some children become hyperactive…
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Why language barriers can fuel vaccine hesitancy
A vaccine appointment depends on more than a person’s opinion of vaccines: they also have to understand the instructions and trust the people giving them.…
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